compost heap

What our animals are doing this month…

August 1, 2025 by Admin

Basking in the Sun: Summer Adventures of the Grass Snake

While many animals retreat to shaded havens during the heat of the August sun, one elusive reptile takes full advantage of the warmth, the grass snake.

These shy yet captivating creatures are often seen basking on sun-drenched rocks, riverbanks, or compost heaps. As cold-blooded reptiles, grass snakes rely entirely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature. Basking helps them warm up enough to move, hunt, and digest food. But even sun lovers have their limits. When the temperature rises too high, grass snakes will slither off into hedgerows or even plunge into nearby rivers and ponds to cool down. Believe it or not, they are excellent swimmers!

A Summer of Survival and Courtship

Summer is not just about sunbathing for grass snakes, it’s a season of vital importance for reproduction. During the warmer months, males are on the move, searching for females to perform their subtle and fascinating courtship rituals. Once mating is successful, females must then find the perfect spot to lay their eggs.

Between June and July, female grass snakes often choose warm, damp environments such as compost heaps or rotting vegetation to deposit their eggs. These natural incubators provide the steady warmth and humidity needed for the eggs to develop safely. By August, some of these eggs may have already hatched, meaning that lucky observers might spot tiny juveniles navigating their first summer in the wild.

What’s on the Menu?

Grass snakes are skilled hunters with a diet that mainly consists of amphibians: frogs, toads, and newts are particular favourites. They also consume small fish and, from time to time, may snack on small mammals. Their excellent swimming abilities give them an advantage when hunting in aquatic environments, allowing them to glide effortlessly through ponds and streams in search of prey.

A Slithery Fun Fact

Here’s something you might not know: grass snakes are the only snake species in the UK that lays eggs. Other British snakes, like the adder and smooth snake, give birth to live young. This unique trait makes the grass snake a fascinating species to watch, especially during the summer breeding season.

Have You Spotted One?

If you’re out enjoying nature this summer, keep an eye out for grass snakes basking in the sun or gliding through the water. And don’t forget, if you spot any reptiles, amphibians, or even their eggs, make sure to record your sightings on our FREE Dragon Finder App.

Your observations help us track populations and protect the habitats of these wonderful wild creatures.

What our animals are doing this month

June 1, 2025 by Admin

Written by Andrew Smart, Head of Science & Research

The Secret Life of the Grass Snake: Spring into Summer

As the chill of winter fades and the days begin to warm, one of Britain’s most fascinating reptiles stirs from its slumber. The grass snake, our largest native snake species, typically emerges from hibernation around March or April, ready to begin a new season of activity.

By late spring, these snakes have left their hibernation sites and are actively basking in the sun, feeding, and preparing to breed, usually during April and May. If you’re lucky, you might spot a tell-tale sign of their presence: a circular patch of flattened grass where a snake has coiled itself to soak up the warmth.

Grass snakes are especially drawn to ponds, where they hunt amphibians, small fish, and even moorhen chicks.

Once they’ve gathered enough heat, grass snakes begin to explore, often moving along hedgerows and ditches for cover. They’re especially drawn to ponds, where they hunt amphibians, small fish, and even moorhen chicks. Their movement is stealthy, and they make the most of natural features to remain hidden from predators and prey alike.

Interestingly, grass snakes don’t all roam the same distances. Some may stick to small areas of just half a hectare, while others have been recorded covering territories as large as 33 hectares. Females tend to be larger than males and take on the important task of egg-laying in early summer.

Between June and July, female grass snakes lay clutches of 10 to 40 eggs, often choosing warm, damp spots such as rotting vegetation piles or garden compost heaps, especially those rich in grass clippings. These warm environments act as natural incubators. By late summer, the eggs hatch, and tiny juvenile snakes begin their journey into the wild.

So next time you’re near a sunny hedgerow or a quiet pond, keep an eye out, you might just catch a glimpse of this remarkable, secretive reptile going about its seasonal rituals.

Remember to record your amphibian and reptile sightings on our free Dragon Finder App.

How can you help wildlife this winter?

October 19, 2023 by Admin

Written by Ellia Cobb, Transforming Lives Trainee.

As the weather is getting colder and the temperature starts to drop, reptiles and amphibians are getting ready for brumation. Brumation is similar to hibernation in that it is a state of deep sleep undergone throughout the colder months as they cannot survive winter conditions. Amphibians and reptiles will however come out to forage during warmer periods.

There are different things you can do at this time of year to help brumating animals such as building your own hibernaculum or creating a log pile. Creating a hibernaculum is simple and if you have leftover garden waste from the summer, this is a great use for it!

You start by digging a hole, it doesn’t have to be too wide or deep, just enough to retain heat to keep reptiles and amphibians warm. Once you have done this, you can start filling the hole with logs, rocks and bricks. Once you have filled some of the hole, you can start piling the larger logs and sticks a little higher than ground level to then cover with softer things such as leaf litter and bramble (these help to trap the warmth). Finally, you can use the mud you dug up to then cover up the hibernaculum, remembering to leave some gaps so that the animals can get in and out.

If you don’t like the idea of digging, log piles can be just as effective by stacking logs, branches, rocks and leaf litter. This also makes a great habitat for brumating reptiles and amphibians.

It is super important not to disturb compost heaps, log piles or even piles of leaves during the colder months.

More Ideas:

You can find even more resources and ideas for making your green space more wildlife-friendly here.

What our animals are doing this month

September 28, 2023 by Admin

Written by Nathan Gardner, Transforming Lives Trainee

The warm summer days have faded as we reach October, which means that our native amphibians and reptiles have one thing on their mind: starting brumation. This process differs to that of the mammalian hibernation in that rather than a sustained period without bodily functions such as eating, drinking, or defecating, amphibians and reptiles will occasionally leave their hides in order to drink – which is important in regulating their bodily fluid levels – and perhaps bask in the sun on warmer days.

Most amphibians and reptiles are referred to as ‘ectothermic’, meaning they cannot generate their own body heat. Instead, they rely on their surrounding environments to warm and cool themselves, regulating their blood flow. Winter, of course, poses quite the issue for these critters, and they must seek refuge to buffer themselves from the harsh cold. It is important for amphibians to locate a hide that is moist, such as compost heaps or abandoned mammal burrows, as they have permeable skin as a means of absorbing water and oxygen. Reptiles have a more robust respiratory system, and thus can survive in drier conditions such as deadwood or leaf litter.

Here are a few suggested steps you can take in your own garden to help amphibians and reptiles have a successful brumation:

Leave mounds of loose soil and piles of dead leaves or compost in the garden corners.
Avoid disturbing these areas and withhold as much garden maintenance as possible.
Leave small bowls of water beside these areas regularly; amphibians will need to soak, and reptiles will need to drink.
Try building your own hibernaculum; a specialized hide consisting of logs, stones, and soil.

It is crucial that any amphibians or reptiles you invite into your garden feel safe and provided for. Let your grass grow and do your best not to disturb any dark, moist patches or corners. Please click here for more information.

Reptiles

August 29, 2023 by Admin

Written by Jade Walton, Transforming Lives Trainee

In the UK, there are three resident snake species, the grass snake, the smooth snake, and the adder. Each species has a characteristic that makes it unique. The adder is our only venomous species, the smooth snake our only constrictor, and the grass snake is (rather surprisingly) the only one to lay eggs.

It is a common misconception that all reptiles reproduce by laying eggs, but besides the grass snake, the only other UK resident egg-laying reptile is the sand lizard. In our four other species, the females incubate their eggs internally, then ‘give birth’ to their young. This internal incubation gets rid of the need for nest making and laying on the eggs to keep them warm, which is particularly helpful given the unpredictable weather in the UK.

The need to keep eggs warm is a major factor in grass snakes being absent from Scotland since they rely on warmer temperatures for incubation. The best place for grass snakes to lay their eggs is in piles of rotting vegetation, since the process of rotting creates heat. It is for this reason, grass snakes are often found in compost heaps.

By the end of summer, the eggs will have hatched to reveal juvenile snakes that look exactly like their adult counterparts, except for being only a tenth of their length.

The best way you can help your local grass snake population would be to have a compost heap in your garden for them to lay their eggs, or a wildlife pond in which they can hunt.

You can find lots of tips on how to help grass snakes, as well as our other reptile and amphibian species here.

What our animals are doing this month….

September 23, 2021 by Admin

The smooth newt is the most widespread newt in the UK; they are a common garden species and can often be found breeding in garden ponds. They look very similar to palmate newts, but can be distinguished by their spotted throat and the male’s subtle, wavy crest.

By early October smooth newts have left their breeding ponds and moved onto land. They will now eat as much as they can, foraging for invertebrates such as insects, slugs and worms to build up their winter reserves. In between foraging they can be found sheltering in safe spots such as under wood piles or rocks.

By mid-late October smooth newts will begin to overwinter. They will choose warm, sheltered overwintering sites such as hibernacula or compost heaps, or simply bury themselves into the mud in a quiet area. They will remain dormant in this spot for most of the winter, occasionally coming out to forage on milder days. As they have these short periods of activity, this isn’t strictly classed as hibernation, but is known instead as brumation.